Teh Guat Hwa Monica

Year of birth: 1967.
Where do you live: Singapore.
Your education: Diploma In Special Education.
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When did you first realize that art was your calling, and how has your journey evolved since you began painting in 2011?

In 2011, I fell sick and was admitted into hospital for 73 days.  During my stay, I was  invited to Art & Craft sessions as therapy every morning.  As I drew and drew every single day,  I slowly began to pick up interest in abstract painting. After my discharge from hospital, I continue exploring various types of drawing and painting to express my emotions and thoughts. 

Your focus on partial abstraction in portraits and nature is quite unique. Can you elaborate on what draws you to this style and how you approach these subjects?

Initially I focus on abstract painting for the first few years.  But then I felt that I needed to expand more than abstract to convey my passions of my artworks. So I incorporated woman figure in them. I also added in animals as a mean to show my heart’s returns to nature.

How have your experiences in the NAFA Advanced Western Abstract Painting course and the La Salle College of the Arts influenced your current work?

Both courses that I attended provided me the basic skills that I needed so that I can convey my message in a more coherent way. 

Could you walk us through your creative process when combining oil and acrylics? How do these mediums complement each other in your work?

I usually starts by using Acrylic for a broad background and base for elements.  Then I applied oil paint for a stronger emphasis of areas that I wanted to highlight and also to create depth for my paintings.

Your paintings exhibit a strong connection to nature. What elements of nature inspire you the most, and how do you convey these in your art?

Animals in the wild, living in freedom are the ones that inspired me to paint more of them to convey my message of love for freedom and Mother Nature. 

So I will choose an animal that can relate to my thoughts or emotions to blend with a female figure in my artwork. 

In your portrait work, do you focus more on capturing the essence of the subject or the emotion behind the image?

In my artworks I focus more on conveying my emotions and thoughts that the image can bring out from my Mindfulness of my present feelings and thoughts. 

What advice would you give to emerging artists who are looking to explore abstraction in their work?

There’s no rules, boundaries, nor notions of right or wrong in Abstract.  The best thing is that there’s no such things as mistakes! Every splash, every stroke is a testament to your unique perspective.  You don’t have to use only brushes to apply paint.  Use anything that you can lay your hands on within your house! Do lots of layering with mixed media in your artwork.